Editing Tamil script (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Evolution of Vatteluttu and Tamil scripts.gif|thumb|350px|Diverging evolution of [[Tamil-Brahmi]] script (center column) into the [[Vatteluttu alphabet]] (leftmost column) and the Tamil script (rightmost column)]]
The Tamil script has 12 [[vowel]]s ({{lang|ta|உயிரெழுத்து}}, {{transliteration|ta|ISO|uyireḻuttu}}, "soul-letters"), 18 [[consonant]]s ({{lang|ta|மெய்யெழுத்து}}, {{transliteration|ta|ISO|meyyeḻuttu}}, "body-letters") and one special character, the {{lang|ta|ஃ}} ({{lang|ta|ஆய்த எழுத்து}}, {{transliteration|ta|ISO|āytha eḻuttu}}). {{lang|ta|ஃ}} is called "அக்கு", ''akku,'' and is classified in Tamil orthography as being neither a consonant nor a vowel.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/romadict.pl?table=tamil-lex&page=148&display=utf8 University of Madras Tamil Lexicon, page 148: "{{lang|ta|அலியெழுத்து}} [ {{transliteration|ta|ISO|aliyeḻuttu}} ] n {{transliteration|ta|ISO|ali-y-eḻuttu}} . < {{lang|ta|அலி}}¹ +. 1. The letter {{lang|ta|ஃ}}, as being regarded as neither a vowel nor a consonant; {{lang|ta|ஆய்தம்}}. ({{lang|ta|வெண்பாப். முதன்மொ. 6, உரை.}}) 2. Consonants; {{lang|ta|மெய்யெ ழுத்து. (பிங்.).}}"]</ref> However, it is listed at the end of the vowel set. The script is [[Syllabary|syllabic]], not [[alphabet]]ic, and is written from left to right.